Abstract Multiple factors affecting the sulfonated poly (arylene ether) proton exchange membrane materials are worthy of being systematically explored. In order to investigate the variation of membrane materials based on ion exchange capacity (IEC) and hydrophilic segment length, three series of dense sulfonated poly (arylene ether)s (mt-SPAE-y, dt-SPAE-y and tt-SPAE-y) containing mono-, di- and tri-sulfonated tetraphenylmethane structural units were synthesized. Each series contains three sulfonated copolymers with different IEC values. Small angle X-ray scattering and transmission electron microscopy results show that increasing the IEC value is conducive to the aggregation of hydrophilic ion clusters, while the growth of hydrophilic segment length helps to the formation of larger hydrophilic ion clusters. Both variations favor the construction of connected hydrophilic ion channels. Based on the highest IEC value and the longest hydrophilic segment length, the tt-SPAE-1.94 membrane forms a connected hydrophilic channel that allows it to exhibit the highest proton conductivity and lowest activation energy of the proton conductivity. Good thermal properties, mechanical properties and oxidation resistance lay the foundation for the durability of the membrane in fuel cells. Finally, the tt-SPAE-1.94 membrane was used for membrane electrode assembly at 80 °C and 95% relative humidity, exhibiting a power density of 418 mW cm−2 in H2/air fuel cell test. In summary, both the increase in the IEC value and the length of the hydrophilic segment contribute to the formation of good hydrophilic-hydrophobic phase morphology, thereby enhancing the macroscopic properties of the sulfonated poly (arylene ether) proton exchange membrane material. The results prove that these three series of membranes show outstanding prospects in actual fuel cell operation and have considerable research value.

中文翻译：

---

含有单、二和三四苯基甲烷的稠密磺化链段磺化聚亚芳基醚作为质子交换膜的结构和性能

摘要 影响磺化聚（亚芳基醚）质子交换膜材料的多种因素值得系统探讨。为了研究基于离子交换容量 (IEC) 和亲水段长度的膜材料的变化，三个系列的稠密磺化聚（亚芳基醚）（mt-SPAE-y、dt-SPAE-y 和 tt-SPAE- y) 合成了含有单磺化、二磺化和三磺化四苯基甲烷结构单元的化合物。每个系列包含三种不同 IEC 值的磺化共聚物。小角度X射线散射和透射电镜结果表明，增加IEC值有利于亲水性离子簇的聚集，而亲水性链段长度的增加有利于形成更大的亲水性离子簇。两种变体都有利于构建连接的亲水离子通道。基于最高的IEC值和最长的亲水段长度，tt-SPAE-1.94膜形成了一个相连的亲水通道，使其表现出最高的质子传导率和最低的质子传导率活化能。良好的热性能、机械性能和抗氧化性为膜在燃料电池中的耐久性奠定了基础。最后，tt-SPAE-1.94 膜在 80 °C 和 95% 相对湿度下用于膜电极组件，在 H2/空气燃料电池测试中表现出 418 mW cm-2 的功率密度。总之，IEC值的增加和亲水链段的长度都有助于形成良好的亲水-疏水相形态，从而增强磺化聚（亚芳基醚）质子交换膜材料的宏观性能。结果证明，这三个系列的膜在实际燃料电池运行中显示出突出的前景，具有相当的研究价值。